PRINCETON--energy experts policy at Princeton University Wilson School say the design flaws and practical limitations of security systems Japan's nuclear power station crisis point on potential rocky days ahead for global nuclear energy policy demonstrates.

Tokyo Electric Power Co. (TEPCO) has struggled with an apparent partial meltdown at the site of Fukushima Dai-Ichi damaged by the earthquake and tsunami, which devastated Japan two weeks ago. The company is now have increased criticism for decisions that can plant vulnerability.

In the years since the three mile Iceland and Chernobyl accidents as the industry complacent, can Alexander Glaser, Assistant Professor of mechanical engineering and air- and space technology and international affairs.

"We took nuclear safety had healed, operators were better trained, and that catastrophic simply does not happen accidents," Glaser said held Thursday at a panel discussion at the school. "This looks much more uncertain than two weeks ago."

M.V. Ramana, researchers in the Wilson School programme on Science and global security, said reactors have been with several security systems developed, but they can all during a catastrophic event. In this work of Fukushima, two systems was developed, to the nuclear fuel rods both shield, resulting in an explosion.

"Several security systems are good, but they are unexpected consequences, if they interact with each other in ways the negative impact on the security," said Ramana.

Glaser said some of the problems compromises were design from "easy, but we would now say questionable design decisions", but it means may not be possible to prevent all risks.

Professor Frank von Hippel, served as Deputy Director for national security at the White House Office of science and technology policy from 1993 to 1994, criticized the US nuclear regulatory Commission for the measures he said rejection would make safer reactors. He argued for the boost of emergency 10-mile radius to reactor accidents within, that evacuated residents or pills, given that the intake of radioactive iodine.

Panelists said the disaster will make it more difficult, win support for the construction of new reactors, a concern for the United States, because many of its 140 nuclear reactors are to shortly before the end of their licensed operating life. Ramana found say industry against updated reactor design, nuclear operators are comfortable with older models, and they feel are the potential problems.